Somebody That I Used to Know
by xmoonlightxdreamsx
Summary: AU. "There used to be a time you knew me better than anyone," she said softly, staring at her hands that were clasped together on the counter." Carol returns home after dropping out of college and runs into a familiar face.


Carol walked into the bar around eleven that night. She wasn't the type to frequent bars, but she had been back in her hometown for about a week, and today marked her twenty second birthday.

Her twenty second birthday, and neither her step-dad, the only dad she really knew, nor her half-sister had remembered. After spending the day in her apartment with a gallon of ice cream, a spoon, and Netflix, she decided she had had enough of being alone.

She didn't need a party, or to actually talk to anybody, she just needed to be somewhere. Somewhere that would be a welcome distraction. Since it was eleven on a Tuesday night in a small town, she didn't have very many choices.

Hence, how she ended up at the bar. Walking through the door, she nearly re-thought her decision, before remembering the reason she had come in the first place. She was going to have at least one drink tonight, to celebrate her birthday, even if she was celebrating alone.

She went and sat down at one end of the bar, away from the two other people who were currently stationed there, one of which was sleeping, passed out with his head on the counter with the other one looking like he was about to quickly follow in the footsteps of his friend.

The bartender turned around so that Carol saw him face to face and gasped in surprise.

"Daryl!" She beamed, and immediately stood up and went around to the side where there was an opening for him to step out to greet her. He nervously met her there and let her arms wrap around him in a giant bear hug, before she slapped his arm and pulled away with a frown on her face.

"Happy birthday?" He said, almost as a question, trying to ignore the reason for the frown on her face. He knew what it was, and he wasn't ready for that conversation. Not there, not yet.

"Thank you," she smiled, barely reaching her eyes. He had remembered? Carol felt all the old feelings she had for him before start to dangerously creep up on her. She reached up and grazed his stubble, quickly pulling her hand back down when he flinched at the contact.

"That's new," she whispered. "Your hair is so long too…" She wanted to run her fingers through it, brush it aside in the many different directions it seemed to be going.

He simply grunted in response, in typical Daryl fashion before going back behind the safety of the bar, using it as security. Seeing her there, he could hardly believe she was really there. It seemed like she had been gone forever, when in all actuality it had only been a few years. Wait, a few years? When had that happened? He wondered, until Carol pulled him out of his thoughts.

"So bartender, what do you recommend for me?"

"I don't know what ya like," he answered, unable to keep his eyes off of her. He barely made eye contact, but her eyes were as blue as he had remembered. She was still as tiny as ever, her hair the same color, grown out in rebellious curls that fell around her shoulders. Still as beautiful as the last time he had seen her, if not more.

He drank in her appearance like a man on the brink of dehydration.

"There used to be a time you knew me better than anyone," she said softly, staring at her hands that were clasped together on the counter. That was before she had gone away to college…

"Alrigh', let me go out back for a sec'," he muttered. Carol raised an eyebrow at him curiously, but didn't say anything.

Quite the birthday this was turning out to be, she thought to herself. A car honk startled her out of her thoughts, as well as the two guys sleeping at the other end of the bar. They left a few bills on the counter before stumbling out and into the cab that waited outside.

When Daryl reappeared, she fought the fresh sting of tears threatening to fall. He was holding two cupcakes, one of which had a lit candle stuck in it.

"Ya know I ain't gonna sing to ya, but uh, Happy Birthday," he said awkwardly, setting the cupcake in front of her. Carol closed her eyes and blew the candle out, not bothering to wish for anything. She had given up on that a long time ago.

Daryl took the candle out and put it aside, before taking his finger and swiping some of the frosting off of her cupcake. "Hey!" She protested, swatting at his hand and returning the smirk that appeared on his face.

"So why're ya here? Your dad have to work or somethin'?" He asked innocently, making small talk and continuing to avoid the elephant in the room. The elephant that he knew _he_ had created.

"I didn't want to be alone," she groaned remembering her initial reason for coming in the first place. "Sounds pathetic, doesn't it? They forgot, him and Lori. Lori sent me a text and asked me to look over her research paper and that was it."

Daryl frowned, but she continued to talk, glad she finally had someone to actually talk to.

"I was sitting at home and then…I just couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want to be alone. I needed to be out somewhere, anywhere….Here and Walmart were my only options," she laughed without any real humor.

"Well I'm glad ya chose here," he said. "Sorry about your family though," he sympathized. There had been more than one occasion that birthdays were forgotten in the Dixon household.

"'S alright," she mumbled, biting into her cupcake. "After my mom…everything changed."

Daryl simply gave her a look that said everything. That was how they mainly communicated, and it had always worked for them. Carol said more with words, and Daryl said more with his eyes and facial expressions, better than her words could ever convey.

Trying to lighten the mood, she looked down and quickly swiped her finger in the frosting that remained on her cupcake and wiped it on his nose.

Daryl's eyes went wide, and his nerves were working overdrive, but different feelings started to take over, as he saw the first real smile she had worn all night. It was almost like before. Almost.

Daryl wiped the frosting off his nose and sucked it off his finger, before taking his own, untouched cupcake and squishing the frosting on Carol's face, who squealed in laughter.

He ended up feeling bad for the mess he had made and grabbed a towel, handing it to her.

"Daryl?" She questioned while wiping her face off. "What happened? With us?"

"Not here," he mumbled. She nodded and handed the towel back to him.

"T won't mind if I lock up early. Jus' give me a few minutes."

True to his word, just a few short minutes later they were walking out of the bar.

They ended up going in Daryl's truck back to his apartment after he convinced her to leave her car there, and that he'd take her to pick it up after.

When they were back at his apartment, Carol wasted no time bringing the conversation back up. Daryl sat down on his recliner with a sigh, and motioned for her to sit on the couch.

"I called… I wrote… Hell, I even tried getting a hold of _Merle_, to keep in contact with you. We were friends, Daryl. I don't understand how you could do that to me…to us," she whimpered, tears pooling in her eyes.

She was beautiful even when she was crying or about to cry, but god did he feel like a jackass knowing he had caused the pain reflected in her eyes.

"Thought ya'd be better off without me," he answered plainly. "Hell, I wasn't thinkin'. You were goin' off to this fancy college with a scholarship; figured ya didn't need my ass draggin' ya down. Thought you'd forget all about me."

"Do you really think that little of me?" She asked angrily, her temper beginning to rise. "You were, **are**, my best friend Daryl. I needed you. I still do. I needed you when Ed..." She trailed off, unable to fight the sob that was starting to choke its way out of her.

Daryl's temper flared, forcing him to stand and clench his fists. "Who's Ed?" He asked her as calmly as he could. Obviously he had done something wrong, and that was enough reason for Daryl to want to stomp his ass into the ground.

"It's a long story," she said, letting out a long breath.

"We've got time," he answered.

She sighed before beginning to tell him about how she had met Ed a year after she'd been in college, working in the library. He was sweet and charming at first, and she was flattered by the attention, which had ended up blinding her. They only went on a couple of dates, but he believed he had some claim over her. When she saw his possessive nature, she called it quits, but he refused to acknowledge that; showing up at her classes, outside her dorm, essentially stalking her. The police wouldn't do anything, chalking it up as just relationship problems. It had been one of the reasons she ended up dropping out.

By the time she finished, Daryl was furious and ready to hunt Ed down.

"Daryl, calm down. Getting angry won't do anything about it now. He's miles and miles away, and I'm here."

Daryl went and punched a hole in the wall, causing Carol to wince, feeling sorry that she had brought this reaction out of him by telling him about Ed.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. Jus' so damn angry," he said softly, walking back over to her. "Angry at that prick and angry at myself. Shouldn't a shut you out," he admitted. Carol stood up, and for the second time that night, wrapped her arms around him. He slowly melted into her, allowing the hug to relax him and pausing only for a moment before returning it.

"I missed you so much," she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

"Missed ya too," he admitted, letting his head rest on her shoulder.

"Promise me something?" She asked, pulling away all too soon.

Daryl raised his eyebrow.

"Don't be a total jerk face and try to ruin our friendship," she deadpanned.

"I think I can manage that," he smirked.

* * *

><p>Well, it's up to the muse whether I continue or leave as is. My one-shots usually don't stay that way though. I'm surprised I even wrote this today, after being obsessively on Tumblr for Caryl.<p> 


End file.
